St Valentine's Day: ATLA-Style
by Elen-Di
Summary: It's Valentine's Day in the Avatar world... or Sifu Ken'ichi's Day, as Aang would have it. Years have passed since peace was restored to the world and the gaang is taking a much needed vacation. Only Zuko and Katara didn't account for the date, or friends with matchmaking tendencies. Unashamedly and unapolagetically Zutara, Sukka. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**St. Valentine's Day: ATLA-Style**

**By Elen-Di**

_A/N: Okay, so I admit it: I used to be fine with canon Kataang (even got a little enthusiastic about their cuteness) but then some conversations with friends led me to DeviantArt. And then Fanfiction. And before you know it, I jumped ship to Zutara and gosh darn it, I will go down with this ship forever. YOU CAN'T STOP THE FEELS! …I mean… _

_This story was written for my dear friend MertleYuts around Valentine's Day. I actually didn't finish it until almost a month later, so here it is now._

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any affiliated characters or other such things. This is purely for my own evil enjoyment._

_-.-.-.-_

"Hey guys, hey guys! Guess what tomorrow is?"

Aang glided down from the clouds and flipped to a neat stop in front of his gathered friends: Katara, Sokka, Suki, Toph, and Zuko. They had been sitting around the campfire, shivering slightly in the frigid winter air, with a range of expressions from no-one-talk-to-me-I'm-still-sleeping (Sokka) to wide-awake-and-already-did-my-firebending-exercises (Zuko). Katara and Suki were cooking breakfast while Toph taunted Momo, and from the smells of it, breakfast was nearly ready.

"What day is tomorrow, Aang?" Katara asked while Suki nudged (or rather, shook) Sokka awake. Aang plopped down between Toph and Zuko, the latter of whom was trying to sip his tea without burning himself. Aang accidentally knocked into him and Zuko cursed.

"Oops! Sorry Zuko!"

"It's fine, Aang, it's just tea," Toph rolled her eyes while Zuko scooted away from Aang, tea held high, scowling.

"It's not _just tea_," Zuko muttered.

"I'm sure the firebending master can handle a little _boiling water_," Toph snickered. Zuko glared, then realized his expression was wasted on her and grumpily returned to his tea.

"Calm down everyone, we're about to eat," Katara said consolingly. "Sorry it took a little bit longer than normal."

"That's all right, Katara. I almost made you guys wait for me," Aang said, distracted by the fruity-smelling congee Katara spooned into his bowl.

"Yeah, it's not like Twinkles toes is used to getting his food delivered instantly," Toph remarked slyly. "It's probably good for some of us to get away from being _pampered by servants_ day in and day out."

Zuko snorted. "I am _not_ pampered! Just because I'm the new Firelord does not mean I get food whenever I want it."

"Then you should find new servants, Sparky," Toph waved her spoon at him. "That, or a woman who's not afraid to order people around!"

Zuko's jaw dropped, but before he could muster a scathing retort Katara quickly interrupted, "So Aang! What was it about tomorrow that you wanted to tell us?"

Aang leapt to his feet. "Oh yeah, that's right! Tomorrow is Sifu Ken'ichi's Day!"

Blank looks were shared around the circle. A yawning Sokka mumbled, "Whosawhatsit?"

"Sifu Ken'ichi Day!" Aang repeated, looking crestfallen that no one else seemed to understand the significance of the day. "You know, the day to celebrate love and friendship and eat chocolate and sing songs and enjoy dances together?"

More blank looks. "Is this an airbender holiday?" Katara asked carefully.

"I mean, Sifu Ken'ichi wasn't an airbender, but his teachings on love and compassion are well-known and held in high regard by the monks. Or… they used to be well known."

Zuko looked distinctly uncomfortable as everyone thought but no one said that the tradition had likely been forgotten – or destroyed along with the airbender people – when the fire nation had attacked a century ago.

"Well, Aang, if you remember the customs maybe we can all celebrate the occasion tomorrow," Katara said practically.

"Yeah, we're on vacation!" Toph crowed. "It's a perfect time to party!"

"Okay, yeah!" Aang exclaimed, his excitement returning. "It'll be so much fun!"

"What is it you said we're celebrating, exactly?" Zuko asked skeptically.

"Love and friendship! Well, mainly friendship, I suppose, but back in the day there were all kinds of festivals for lovers."

Toph elbowed Sokka, who seemed to have dozed off again. "Hear that, Sokka? It's a day for _romance_."

Sokka immediately jerked awake. "Romance?" He glanced over at Suki, wide-eyed. "Like what? How romantic? What did people do?"

"A lot of things, Aang said, shrugging. "I thought we could all exchange little gifts or favors – sweets were pretty popular – since friends often did things for each other, too. I don't know you; you can really do anything you want."

Zuko crossed his arms. "I don't know about this. That's not a lot of time to come up with gifts or food if we're celebrating tomorrow."

"It doesn't have to be elaborate," Toph rolled her eyes. Then snickered. "Unless you're planning to romance someone tomorrow, Firelord."

"What? Be serious!" he snapped, blushing furiously. "I don't have time for romance when there's a nation to run!"

"That was the whole point of dragging you out here in the first place," Suki put in. Then, realizing everyone was staring at her in disbelief – especially Sokka – she said hurriedly, "The vacation part, I meant!"

Zuko put his hands over his face. "I don't do romance," he said again.

"No one's forcing you to do anything you don't want to do," Katara snapped unexpectedly, cheeks red. "Like Aang said, it's a chance to celebrate our friendship. It's not like we get to see each other that often anymore."

"Here, here," Toph said.

Zuko looked away, cheeks still burning. "Fine," he muttered.

"Great!" Aang smiled. "Now that that's settled, who wants to take a field trip into town?"

-.-.-.-

As it turned out, everyone went into town, but it was eventually decided that the girls would split off from the boys – mainly so that Sokka could get something for Suki and still have it be a surprise. As they waved to the departing trio (Zuko still scowling as much as if they had said he had to get a makeover and wear women's clothing), Katara couldn't help but worry that Aang might try and get her something more romantically inclined as well…

It wasn't as if she didn't care for Aang, she mused as Suki led them down the avenue, but she had thought theirs was a strictly platonic relationship. Once, it might have been more, but now…

"I wonder why Zuko got so hot and bothered this morning," Suki said aloud, and Katara started. "It's not like he's never been with anyone before, right? I thought he had a girlfriend back in the fire nation."

"Not anymore," Toph said cheerfully. A little too cheerfully, perhaps.

"That's a shame," Katara murmured, trying to sound normal and disinterested. "I thought they were cute together."

Toph snorted in disbelief. "Zuko and Mai? She was so dull and unemotional! Zuko needs someone who's not afraid to fight with him. Or willing to kick his butt when he needs it."

"Yeah, I can see that," Suki agreed. "Someone more complementary, perhaps."

"Someone passionate, too. I can't see, but going by his voice I imagine Lord Hotness is cute enough to attract any girl in the Fire Nation," Toph drawled.

"Well when we've all finished deciding who Zuko should be with, I think we should actually start looking for gifts for the boys," Katara said loudly. Almost angrily. "Come on, let's go in here." She ducked inside a small shop while Suki glanced at Toph, surprised.

Toph smirked. "After you."

-.-.-.-

"What about this one?" Sokka shoved a bracelet beneath Zuko's nose, who eyed it distastefully.

"It's blue."

"Of course it's blue! I'm from the Water Tribe, man! Everything is blue!"

"But Suki isn't from the Water Tribe," Aang pointed out. "Don't the Kyoshi warriors wear a lot of green?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to give her something more symbolic…" Sokka trailed off, spotting something over Zuko's shoulder. "Oh! Wait just a second!" He darted off.

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. "Remind me why we're doing this?"

"Oh come on, Zuko, it's just a friendly gesture," Aang exclaimed. "You could always just get them chocolates or exotic fruit."

"Exotic fruit? Where am I supposed to get exotic fruit?"

"We just passed a vender over there," Aang pointed. Zuko followed his gaze and saw another jewelry vender set up beside one with fruits and another with cabbages.

"I guess I'll check it out," he muttered, and wandered over before Sokka could return and solicit his opinion again. How was he supposed to know what kind of jewelry Suki would like?

He stopped before the two carts and glanced over the wares, feeling foolish. What _would_ those three like? Toph didn't have any use for jewelry; she'd probably be happy with food. He didn't want to take a chance offending Suki, so definitely food for her. As for Katara…

"Looking for something, young man?" the street vendor, a wizened old woman with grey hair piped up at his elbow.

"Not in particular," he answered honestly. "I'm trying to find a gift for a friend."

The woman peered at him. "A female friend?"

"Yes."

"Ahh…" the woman pondered. "A _special_ female friend?"

Zuko threw up his hands. "No! I mean, yes! I mean, no! Agh, I don't know!" He had half a mind to turn around and head back to Aang and Sokka, but the woman tugged at his sleeve.

"Fear not, young man. I have some special items I'd be happy to pull out for you. Just a moment." She disappeared behind the cart.

Now's your chance to escape, he thought, but stood still. What _would_ Katara like? He thought back to her mother's necklace, beautiful in its simplicity. She wouldn't want something to replace that, of course. And hadn't Sokka mentioned that those were traditionally betrothal necklaces…?

For a moment his imagination conjured Katara in traditional Fire Nation bridal robes, and his breath caught in his throat. Then his mind caught up to his imagination and he shook his head to dispel the image, cursing himself for a fool. Katara probably had plenty of suitors among the Water Tribe, and probably elsewhere. Including… hadn't Aang been in love with her at one point? Was he no longer? Zuko's stomach clenched. What if this "Sifu Ken'ichi' Day" was just an excuse for Aang to woo Katara?

"Here, young man," the old woman returned bearing a cushion with several necklaces on it. "These were made by the finest artisans in the region with the best quality gold they could source. These stones," she indicated one, "are Fire Nation rubies."

Zuko's gaze was drawn to a piece centered around an unusual stone. "What's this one? It almost looks like lightning." Surrounded by a storm, he thought, studying the myriad of colors swirling through the stone.

"Ah, that is a fire opal," the old woman said, nodding. "Extremely rare, but extremely beautiful."

Zuko studied it, pondering. It was a short necklace, but still longer than Katara's mother's, which nestled in the hollow of the wearer's throat. Zuko was momentarily distracted by the memory of when, desperate to find the Avatar, he had tied Katara to a tree and taunted her with her mother's necklace. Even then, when she had been the enemy, he had noticed the delicate lines of her throat and collar bones…

Stop it! he shook himself mentally. Katara is your _friend_. She probably would never see you as anything other than a _friend_. Get a grip, Zuko.

"Hey Zuko! Whatcha looking at?" Aang peered curiously around his shoulder at the necklaces.

Zuko stiffened. "Nothing! Absolutely nothing. Thank you," he gave a quick bow to the woman, "for showing me your wares." He gripped Aang by the arm and began to drag him away from the stand.

"Hey, wait a minute!" the airbender protested. "Those were pretty! Were you thinking of getting one for one of the girls?"

"Of course not," Zuko blustered. "Like you said, food is probably best. Come on, we have to find Sokka."

"Uhhh, Sokka is still trying to find something for Suki…" Aang said, eyes widening. "We should probably leave him to search in peace, right?"

Zuko caught on. "Oh. Yeah. He'll just find us when he's gotten something." They abruptly swung back in the direction they had come, passing the disappointed necklace vender.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, glancing over various venders and stalls. Eventually Aang said, "So, that necklace…"

"You wanted to get something for Katara?" Zuko blurted, then winced.

"Well…" Aang seemed hesitant.

Hope swelled unbidden in Zuko's chest. "Are you, uh… still interested… in… her?"

Aang scratched his head uncomfortably. "I mean… I'll always love her as a friend, you know?"

"Yeah," Zuko murmured, thinking the exact opposite.

"Besides," Aang said, "I think she may be interested in someone else."

Zuko abruptly stopped walking. "What?! Who?"

Aang glanced back at him, surprised. "Does that bother you?"

Zuko struggled with himself. It _shouldn't_ bother him. Katara was her own woman, free to make her own choices. "Of – of course not," he lied.

Aang didn't look convinced, but didn't press him either, for which Zuko was extremely grateful. The last thing he felt like discussing with Aang was his interest – no, he wasn't interested in Katara! He couldn't be. "Let's find a food vender so we can get something for the girls," he said abruptly. Better to do something simple, and leave it at that.

_To be continued… _


	2. Chapter 2

Dinner was a relatively quiet affair, despite the excitement of the afternoon. As she and Suki cooked Katara thought that either Zuko was glancing at her more often than usual, or he was doing his best to avoid her eyes. What had the boys - men, she mentally corrected herself - talked about during their outing? She wondered (with more than a little idle curiosity) whether their conversation had resembled the girls'... or maybe she was just wishing that Zuko would have a reason to pay more attention to her than a mere "friend" would.

It did sadden her to think that Mai and Zuko had broken up, if only because it had probably been upsetting for Zuko. She wondered how it had happened, and why. Perhaps someone else in the Fire Nation had caught his eye? But no, he had quite emphatically denied wanting any romantic involvement earlier. And Zuko wasn't the type to stray - quite the opposite, in fact. But if he and Mai had broken up, and he insisted that he didn't want any romantic attachment, that meant he definitely only wanted to be friends. Any signs of attraction or romantic overtures on her part would be rejected - not that she had been planning on making any such overtures. Zuko was her friend. It would ruin their friendship if she tried to court him (even the idea sounded ridiculous in her head), and probably prove humiliating for them both.

He would be her friend only. Her very... attractive... friend, she admitted, thinking of Toph's comment earlier. Her very attractive, devoted, strong-willed friend. She watched him from the corner of her eye. Did he seem quieter than usual? Not for the first time, she wondered what he was thinking.

"Pebble for your thoughts?"

"No," he said. Then added, "I mean, no, thank you."

"It's okay, Zuko, you don't have to be polite," Toph said, settling herself beside him. "We're friends, not Fire Nation courtiers."

He sighed.

"What, not in the mood for being friends?" she asked wickedly. "Or are you tired of Fire Nation politics already?"

"You have no idea," he mumbled, reaching for the pot of tea he had brewed upon returning to camp. A few years ago he would never have been able to admit it, but he had come to realize that he really did love tea. It made him wonder whether he was destined to turn into his Uncle - not that he minded, of course. He would welcome the opportunity to be half the man Iroh was. Distracted by this thought, he missed what Toph had said.

"Sorry - what?"

"I said, you seem distracted," Toph repeated. "Did you find some nice gifts this afternoon?"

"Uhhhh..."

"I sure hope you did," Toph continued, fixing her sightless eyes on the ground near his feet. "Cause I'm pretty sure Katara got something pretty special for you."

It was shocking how quickly his chest tightened at her words. "What?" he gasped.

"I'm not supposed to be telling you this," Toph said, leaning in conspiratorially, "since the whole idea is that our gifts are a surprise. But I would sure hate for Katara to do something special for you if you're not prepared to reciprocate."

Zuko sputtered incoherently. "I - what - she-"

"So did you get something good?" Toph prodded.

At that moment, all Zuko could think was how grateful he was that he had chosen a seat well out of earshot from the others. "I - no! I mean, what do you mean she got something special? Why would she get _me_ of all people something special?" His cheeks burned.

Toph threw up her hands. "You know, for all that you people can actually see each other, you're pretty blind sometimes."

"But-" Zuko's head was spinning. "But she and Aang-" he stopped himself. Aang himself had admitted that he and Katara were not romantically involved. Aang had said she was interested in someone else But that couldn't mean... she couldn't possibly...

"She _can't_ like me."

"What? What do you mean 'can't'? Are you going to tell her what to do?"

"Of course not," Zuko retorted. "No one tells her what to do. But I'm the Firelord - I have a duty, an obligation to the Fire Nation. She's of the Water Tribe, she-" Again he stopped himself, not wanting to follow the train of thought his mind had drawn out. "Why would she like _me?"_

"Hey Sparky, don't go getting ahead of yourself now. I didn't say she was wanting to marry you and move to the Fire Nation, I just said she got you something special for tomorrow. And so my question is, did _you_ get something special for _her_?"

-.-.-.-

"You know, for all that our group includes the Avatar and Fire Nation Royalty and there's a town less than two miles from here, I find it really interesting that our idea of 'vacation' somehow translates to 'camping out in the wilderness,'" Toph commented later that evening as Katara and Suki resurrected the girls' tent.

"Why?" Suki asked, surprised. "I think it makes sense."

"Oh, I didn't say it doesn't make sense, just that I find it interesting," Toph said. "Any town would probably stumble over top of themselves to host the Firelord and Avatar for a couple nights. They'd probably pamper us all for free!"

"I don't think Aang and Zuko are in any mood to be pampered more than they already are," Katara said. "Aang's a monk by training, and Zuko..." she trailed off.

"Zuko what?" Toph asked casually.

Katara shook her head. "I think the only reason he agreed to come out with us in the first place is _because_ we're camping out," she said. "You heard him earlier. He needs to get away from being the Firelord sometimes."

Suki nodded seriously. "He seems pretty stressed out by it all."

"Probably because he worries constantly that he's going to screw up and turn into Ozai," Toph said, then yawned. "Iroh can only give him so much affirmation. I wouldn't be surprised if he's really lonely a lot of the time."

Katara bit her lip, unexpectedly stung by the comments. "That's not right," she said quietly. "Doesn't he have friends in the Fire Nation?"

"Katara, really? We were the only 'real' friends he ever made, and we don't exactly live in the palace with him. And now that Mai's gone, he probably doesn't have anyone he can talk to honestly besides Iroh. And no offense to Uncle Teddy Bear, but Zuko probably doesn't want to confide _everything_ to him. The guy needs someone his own age to talk to."

Katara was silent, mulling this over.

"That seems so sad," Suki said. "Maybe we could try to visit him more often."

Toph shrugged. "We could. I think he needs more than that, though."

They fell into silence as Suki and Katara arranged the bedrolls and packs (Toph had decided at the beginning of the trip that she would share a tent with them instead of creating her own rock cave), though no one seemed willing to get into them when they had finished.

Katara opened the tent flap and peered up into the moon-bright sky. She didn't usually have trouble falling asleep, but the time of night when the moon shone brightest was undeniably her favorite part of the day. From the snores emanating from the guys' tent, though, no one else seemed to be feeling very alert right then.

"Oh, Katara!" Suki said from inside the tent. "I forgot to ask - what did you end up getting the b- guys?"

"It's okay, Suki, I have a hard time thinking of them as men too," Toph said.

Katara let the tent flap fall and sat back down. "Nothing too fancy," she admitted. "A month's supply of seal jerky for Sokka and some pinemango for Aang."

"And for Zuko?"

Against her will, Katara blushed. "I didn't get him anything." When Suki gave her an incredulous look, she hurriedly said, "I didn't know what to get him! What do you get the ruler of an entire nation that he can't get himself?"

"Something that he _can't_ get himself," Toph said, as if the answer were obvious. "Which I would figure out sooner rather than later, if I were you. Word 'round camp says that he got you something pretty special."

"WHAT?"

"Voice down!" Toph hissed. "Do you want to wake them up?"

Katara stared at the shorter woman, her heart thudding like a drumbeat in her chest. "How do you know that?" she demanded. "Why would he get me something special? I - we - he-"

"Oh come on, Katara," Toph said impatiently. "I can't see his face, but even _I_ can tell that he looks at you differently than everyone else."

"How would you know?" Katara murmured, still shocked.

Toph sighed. "I have pretty good ears, okay? His voice is different when he talks to you. Softer."

"But..." Katara's mind was working frustratingly slow. "But he said he didn't want to woo anyone right now!"

"Of course he doesn't want to woo just anyone," Suki joined in earnestly. "He wants to woo _you_, but I think he's afraid you don't see him in that way."

"But I..."

"Well? Do you see him in that way?" Toph demanded.

Katara stared at her two friends, cheeks flaming. At that moment, she wished she could firebend, if only to release the heat building up inside of her. "I..." She looked down. "Of course I like him," she muttered.

"Yeah, well, so does everybody," Toph said mercilessly. "That's not enough. How _much_ do you like him?"

Katara squeezed her eyes shut. _I can't believe we're having this conversation_. "Too much," she whispered. "Probably more than he likes me."

Suki's hand fell gently on her shoulder. "Katara," she said, grey-blue eyes soft. "I rather doubt that."

"But he's the Firelord!" Katara found herself saying loudly, her eyes stinging. "I'm from the Water Tribe! I have a home in the South Pole; he's bound to live in the Fire Nation! Besides, what would Dad say? What would Sokka, and Aang?"

"Twinkle-toes would be happy for you," Toph said quietly. "You know he would be. As for your dad-"

"Your father respects and likes Zuko a lot," Suki said firmly. "So does Sokka; you know that. Besides, he wouldn't dare say anything against it." She slammed a fist into the other palm, grinning fiercely. "Trust me."

Katara looked down at her hands. "I don't know," she said, feeling overwhelmed. "It's one thing to lo- _like_ Zuko, and quite another to-"

"Katara, you need to calm down," Toph interrupted. "No one said you had to marry him tomorrow. We're just exchanging gifts. If you really want, you guys can exchange them privately, so that you also have some space to talk." She elbowed Suki gently. "And don't worry about Sokka - she'll take care of him, no problem."

Katara felt a tentative grin forming, and she hugged the two girls. "Thanks guys. I don't know what I'd do without you two."

"Wallow in unrequited love forever, I expect," Toph grumbled under her breath.

-.-.-.-

Zuko was up with the sun the next morning, stealthily rolling up his pack and picking his way around the snoring Aang and Sokka to exit the tent silently. He tucked a piece of Sokka's jerky into his pocket and jogged the whole way to town, praying that the street vendors would be open early.

The town was mostly empty, though a few early-risers wandered the streets with him as he searched for the vender from yesterday. After a few minutes' harried searching he found it, and he felt his chest expand as he saw the grey-haired woman bending over some boxes of wares.

"Excuse me," he said, and she startled, knocking a box over. "Oh shoot - I'm sorry -"

He picked up the errant box and handed it to the woman, whose eyes alighted on him with recognition. "Ah, the young man from yesterday! Back to purchase a gift, I hope?"

Zuko nodded. "Do you still have that fire opal pendant?"

The woman grinned. "You are just in luck!" She rummaged through several boxes and Zuko shifted his weight, trying to keep his expression patient. Finally she straightened and handed him a display box. "I have some more ornate ones in another box somewhere," she said, as if she were worried that the one in the box was too simple. "But those are also a lot more expensive-"

"Price isn't an issue," Zuko said absentmindedly, studying the necklaces in the box. He immediately found the one that had jumped out at him yesterday, putting him in mind of a lightning storm. The many colors shimmered, bleeding into each other, as he turned the box back and forth to catch the light. The necklace was relatively simple, but he suspected Katara wasn't one for overly-fancy jewelry. It was a different style than her mother's pendant, which was a relief - the last thing he needed was a mix-up of confused intentions.

"I'll take it," he said.

"An excellent choice," the woman said, nodding fervently. "It comes with this-" she took out a fine golden chain and then named the price. Zuko nodded - it was actually less expensive than he had anticipated - and carefully counted out the money into her palm.

The woman strung the pendant onto the chain and deposited both into a tiny cloth bag that tightened shut. "Your lady will love it," she said, and Zuko grinned tightly.

"I certainly hope so."

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

By the time he made it back from the town, Aang and Suki were already awake and tending to their campfire. Sokka's snores could still be heard, but Toph and Katara were nowhere to be seen. Zuko purposefully slowed his stride as he came into the camp.

"Zuko!" Aang greeted him with his characteristic enthusiasm. "Did you get what you were looking for?"

"I- what are you talking about?" he said, glowering. "I wasn't looking for anything."

"Oh okay, if you say so," Aang said, and Suki grinned to herself. Zuko stared at them with narrowed eyes, but then decided it wasn't worth arguing over.

"I'm boiling water for your tea, Zuko," Suki said.

"Oh - thank you," he said, before turning away. "I'm going to meditate," he muttered, and stalked off towards a cluster of flat boulders. Suki and Aang watched him go, their smiles widening.

"Where's Katara?" Aang asked as he opened the packet of dried berries from his pack.

"Sleeping in," Suki replied. "I think it took her a long time to fall asleep."

"Did you guys... talk to her?"

Suki glanced over her shoulder at Zuko, who had settled himself on a sunny rock a few hundred yards away. "Yeah," she said quietly. "She's going to do something special for him."

Aang pumped his fist in a triumphant gesture. "I knew it!"

Suki looked at the avatar curiously. "Was this your plan all along?"

Aang shrugged. "Not quite, but the thought did cross my mind around the same time I remembered what day it was." He smiled. "It's working out better than I thought."

Suki raised an eyebrow but continued to stir the congee, saying nothing. Her thoughts wandered over to Sokka, and to wondering what _he_ might have gotten _her_ for today.

Eventually everyone roused and sat down to breakfast, whereupon it was decided that they would spend the morning hiking to a nearby waterfall for a picnic lunch. Aang also suggested that they exchange gifts there, which everyone except Zuko and Katara enthusiastically agreed to. The pair were seated across the campfire from each other (as far away as they could get, Suki noticed) and noticeably avoiding each other's eyes.

It was still winter, but the sun was strong enough to keep the chill air at bay by the time they started hiking down the gorge. Much of the snow had already melted, but patches of white could be found in rocky hollows and in the shadows beneath the trees that grew more thickly the further they walked. Tufts of grass and crocuses had begun to bravely poke through the hard ground, lending a little more color to the browns and greys of the landscape. She was ready for spring, Katara decided, half-listening to Sokka as he chattered away about his latest ideas for inventions. She, Sokka, and Suki trailed behind Aang, Toph and Zuko, the latter-most of whom was choosing the path over boulders and between trees and bushes. They had unanimously agreed that Zuko had the best chances of finding their destination, given his much-demonstrated skills at tracking. (He had blushed again and glared at the less-than-subtle reminder.)

They stopped to rest and hydrate at a small creek, and Katara glanced up at the sky, sighing. "How much further do you think it is?" she asked Suki.

"Getting tired already, Princess?" Toph called from her perch on a rock. "Gotten out of shape since our traveling days?"

Katara flicked a few drops of water at the shorter girl, who yelped. "That's cold!"

"Not too much farther, I think," Aang said, looking over his shoulder down the hill. "What do you think, Sifu Hotman?"

Zuko blew his hair out of his eyes. "How should I know? I'm not an earthbender or a waterbender; we're trying to find a waterfall, not a volcano."

"But you're the best at finding things!" Aang protested. "Right, Katara?" He looked to her beseechingly, as if requesting backup.

"Uh, sure, yeah, you are," she said stumbling over the words a little. Golden eyes flicked over her face, then moved away.

"Yeah, well," he muttered, "It's not as if I'm tracking any Avatars these days."

"Good thing, too!" Toph said, slamming him on the back with an open palm. Zuko sagged slightly, wincing. "You need to focus on tracking down some competent servants! And a wife, of course."

"Toph!" Katara shrieked at the same time that Zuko yelped, "Are you kidding me?" They looked at each other, startled, and then immediately away, blushing furiously. Thankfully, no one else seemed to notice.

"Come on now, enough yapping," Sokka said, striding forward. "Are we going to find this waterfall or not?"

"Maybe Katara should try leading this time," Zuko muttered, staring at a bush by his feet. "She could sense the water before me, anyway."

"Excellent idea," Aang said, nodding. "Zuko, Katara, you lead the way!" When they didn't move, he pushed Zuko towards Katara. "Come on, we haven't got all day!"

My _friends_, Katara thought as she stalked forward, trying and failing to ignore Zuko's lengthier stride beside her.

-.-.-.-

They did find the waterfall, but only because Zuko almost stepped off the edge of the path and into thin air above the rushing water. Katara grabbed his tunic with one hand and used the other to bend water into a wave that shoved him towards her, back onto the path. They crashed to the ground, legs tangled, Zuko barely catching himself with his hands before his torso and head could smack into hers.

"Agh!" he gasped, and then the water she had used to push him broke over top of them.

"Gah," Katara sputtered, trying to shake the water out of her eyes. "Sorry about that!"

"That's okay," Zuko rasped, pushing dripping hair out of his face. "Are you all right?"

She nodded, very aware of how closely he loomed over her, their faces only inches apart. He seemed to realize this at the same time and pushed himself off of her too quickly, falling onto his back with a thud. At that point the rest of the group turned around the bend and nearly tripped over him.

"Careful!" Katara shouted. She gestured to the path's edge. "We found the waterfall."

Sokka stepped over Zuko and peered over the edge. "Excellent! Can we get to the bottom?"

"If we follow this path it should take us all the way down," Toph said, tapping the dirt with her foot.

Zuko sat up with a small groan. "If you could sense that the whole time why didn't _you_ lead?"

Toph shrugged. "Just cause I can feel the ground doesn't mean I would have found the waterfall any quicker." She quirked an eyebrow. "Looks like you guys found it easily enough."

"Yes," Katara agreed quickly, bending the water out of her and Zuko's clothes before anyone could ask. "We did."

She didn't add that she had been too engrossed in their conversation to sense that they were approaching the waterfall, or that Zuko had been looking at her and not the ground when he had nearly fallen off the path edge. Thankfully, the rest of the brief walk passed without incident, and they were soon sitting on a cluster of boulders beside the waterfall pool, enjoying the picnic lunch that Aang and Suki had packed for everyone.

Zuko ate slowly, his heart hammering in his throat. The hike had passed so quickly, and it seemed like everyone was gobbling their food even faster than normal. Were they all so anxious to exchange gifts? Maybe we're all out of shape since our traveling days and so get hungrier faster. This is not making any sense, even in your own head, Zuko. Without looking at it he felt inside his pack for the items he had stowed inside. The small bag was at the very bottom. He fingered it, and his heart lurched. This is a mistake, this is a huge, humiliating mistake, and she is going to drown you -

Sokka belched loudly, cutting off all conversation. "What?" he asked the four pairs of disgusted eyes trained on him. "It was really good!"

"Well, as long as everyone's paying attention, why don't you start?" Aang said.

"Start..."

"Oh come on, Sokka, everyone wants to know what you got Suki!" Toph said loudly. "So just start already!"

"Oh." Sokka turned bright red. "Well, I wasn't exactly planning to do this in front of all you jerks, but..." He fiddled with his pack, then seemed to have an idea. "Oh, I know. Here, Toph!" He chucked something at the earthbender, who somehow caught it with unerring precision. Her face brightened.

"Thanks Sokka! How did you know these were my favorite?" She popped a cluster of berries into her mouth.

"Here Katara," Sokka said, also tossing something small in her direction. She caught it as well and turned it over in her hands. It was a gold and red hair pin, similar to what she had worn in the fire nation.

"Uh… thanks, Sokka?"

"You're welcome!" he said airily. "I know, I know, I'm such a generous brother, but you can hold in the tears of gratitude for now."

Katara raised an eyebrow. "I will do my best then. Catch!" She threw his gift, which he missed and so ended up smacking him in the face. "Oops. Sorry!"

"Sorry schmorry," he grumbled, then saw that it was seal jerky. "Ooh! Jerky! I love you, Katara! You're the best sister ever! Pretend I never said anything otherwise!"

Katara smirked. "I know. Now finish handing out your presents!"

"Oh, right." Sokka hesitated again, the color returning to his cheeks. "Well..." he coughed, then cleared his throat. Suki's eyes widened as he stood and strode over to her, then knelt on both knees beside her.

"Suki, I know I'm not the cleverest or bravest guy in the Water Tribes, and I know I can be pretty goofy at times, or say really dumb things. But I love you, and being with you has meant the world to me. I care about you so much. And I know you are a Kyoshi warrior, which means you have obligations, and I'm of the Water Tribe, but I hope… I hope that somehow, we might be able to work something out."

He held out a small blue pendant that flashed in the light, and nearly everyone held their breaths. Suki gasped, and tears began to run down her face.

"Suki," Sokka said, looking unusually serious, "will you... marry me?"

She buried her face in her hands, and for a tense moment everyone waited. Then she laughed through her sobs, nodding. "Yes. Yes!" She wrapped her arms around Sokka's neck and they kissed fiercely.

Toph's loud clapping broke the stunned silence that enveloped their friends, and Aang quickly joined her, whooping. Katara felt like she was moving through sludge as she moved to hug Suki and her brother, who had finally released each other, laughing a little.

"Congratulations!" she said to Suki, though her voice was a little hoarse with shock.

"Thanks," Suki said, returning her tight hug. "Are you… okay?"

"Okay? Suki, I could not have asked for a better sister!" Katara exclaimed, and then her limbs thawed out. She reached over and smacked Sokka across the back of the head. "Way to not tell me!" she yelled, then hugged him too.

"Sorry," he said, unabashed. "I wasn't sure whether I was really going to ask, and then..."

"It's okay," she said, and then Aang and Toph were there hugging them as well. The only person who still sat frozen on his rock was Zuko, his face blank.

Aang beckoned to him. "Stop being weird and unemotional and get over here with the hugging party, Zuko!"

At that he stood and came over to them, though his expression was still strange. Toph grabbed him by the shirt-front and pulled him into the group hug – he ended up next to Katara – and then it was a tangled mess of hugs and tears (Katara started crying too), laughter and warmth.

When they all finally broke apart, Sokka carefully clasped the pendant around Suki's neck (she promptly burst into tears again). Katara wiped her eyes and leaned back against Zuko, who was seated beside her.

"Are marriage proposals always so… wet?" he asked her, and she laughed.

"It depends," she said. "It's hard not to cry when you're that happy."

"Do all girls cry when they're happy?" He sounded utterly bewildered.

"No," she said. "But that's also a whole 'nother level of happiness."

He thought that over, and Katara closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying his bright heat against her back.

"Well, clearly no one else is going to match up to that level of gift-giving," Aang was saying, "but here you are, Toph, Suki."

Gift-giving still not over, Katara remembered, and reluctantly sat up. Zuko shifted, his golden eyes meeting hers, and for a moment she was confused by the emotions she could not name in them. Then he looked away, and the moment broke, and Katara fumbled in her bag for Aang's gift.

The exchange went on, until it became clear that the only gifts that had not been received were Zuko's from Katara and Katara's from Zuko. No one commented on this, but then Toph winked at Katara and drew the others away with a loud request to check out some "really neat rocks a bit further down the river!"

Zuko cleared his throat, and Katara glanced up at him. "Do you… want to come see something?" he asked. "I mean – can I show you something?"

"What is it, Zuko?"

He held out his hand and she took it. He led her around the bank of the small pool, towards the thundering waterfall. The spray was cold, but not unbearable. For a moment, Katara was confused – did he mean to lead them _into_ the waterfall? - but then she realized that he was taking her behind it.

A small pool, fed by gentle streams of water trickling over the rocks, sat behind the foamy white falls in the hollowed out rock. The noise was nearly deafening, but the scene completely worth it. Katara squeezed Zuko's hand, grinning at the way the light filtered through the falls, at the contrast between the falls and the still pool.

He let her look for a while – she didn't let go of his hand, and so he kept hold of it – and then led her out through a small craggy opening on the other side.

"That was beautiful," Katara said when they could speak without shouting to hear each other. "How did you know that was there?"

He shrugged. "I saw it on the way down, thought you might like it."

"I did," she said, smiling into his face. "Thank you."

He smiled back for a long moment. Then, "I… I uh, have something for you."

He let go of her hand and drew a small bag from his pocket. He handed it to her, unable to meet her eyes, and Katara gently opened it.

She stared at the dazzling piece in her palm, and for the second time that morning her brain seemed to work sluggishly, unable to entirely compute what she held or what it implied.

"It's not a betrothal necklace!" Zuko blurted, then looked horrified. "I mean, unless you want one – I mean, that's not what I meant! I didn't think you wanted a betrothal necklace, from me, anyway, but I thought you would like this one, I mean this necklace, cause it reminded me of you, and – agh!" he smacked a palm to his forehead. "This is coming out all wrong."

Katara licked her lips. Swallowed. "Zuko, I…"

She closed her fingers around the necklace, and reached out with her other hand to gently pull his hand away from his face. He stared at her confused.

"I didn't get you anything," Katara admitted. "But I hope you'll accept this instead."

She leaned forward, tilting her face up to his, and in the moment before her lips met his, Zuko suddenly realized what she was doing. His eyes closed.

The kiss was soft, gentle, questioning at first. Just the pressing of her lips to his for a moment, inhaling his scent, then retreating just slightly, eyes flickering open to meet his, to assess his reaction.

His eyes were molten gold, and the joy in his face made her breath catch. Zuko pulled her against his chest, arms wrapping tightly around her and bent his face to hers, kissing her with such passion that Katara thought she might spontaneously combust.

It was several minutes before either of them could breathe, let alone think, properly. And it was several more minutes before they could speak. When her lips were finally hers to speak with, Katara buried her face into his shoulder instead, holding him close.

"Katara," he breathed against her hair, and she shivered slightly. He tensed. "Are you cold?"

"No, silly," she mumbled into him. "It's impossible to be cold next to you."

She felt him smile into her hair. "I've waited so long to hold you," he admitted. "I didn't think… I almost can't believe..."

"Me either," she said softly. She could feel the thudding pace of his heartbeat against his ribcage; it echoed hers.

"Will you help me put my necklace on?" she asked some time later. He nodded, and reluctantly they allowed space to come between their bodies. Katara turned her back to him and pulled her hair to the side. Zuko reached around her to drape the necklace on her chest – it lay just beneath her mother's pendant – and clasped it, fingers lightly brushing against her neck. Katara shivered again.

"Are you sure you're not cold?" he asked.

Katara opened her mouth to respond when several twigs snapped at the same time that Toph's voice reached them. "Hey Sparky! Princess! Are you guys making out up there, or what? We've been waiting for you for _hours!_"

Zuko and Katara jumped as if scalded, and Aang's voice called, "We have not been waiting for hours. Don't listen to Toph, she's just impatient."

Katara blushed fiercely over the wafting sounds of bickering, and Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. "Well… I guess we should go down?"

Zuko's hand enveloped hers and he pulled her in for a brief but intense kiss. "I suppose," he said. "We have the whole way back to… talk?"

"I'd like to," she said. "And if we don't have enough time to talk about everything, I was thinking that maybe when our 'vacation' is over I could come to the Fire Nation for an… extended visit?"

His hand squeezed hers. "I would love that."

"Zutara, can we go now? I want to get home so I can show off Suki to Dad and everybody!" Sokka yelled.

Katara growled. "That's it. He is not ruining our vacation just cause he proposed to Suki. Nuh-uh!"

Zuko frowned. "Did he just say…?"

"Come on, Zuko," Katara urged, pulling him forward. Zuko let her. Surely, he had just imagined it.

_**fin **_

_A/N: This turned out a bit longer than I expected, but I hope you enjoyed it! Please review. _


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